Senior Michelle Holzemer knew she was taking a risk when she joined the inaugural class at IM体育官网 Poly and committed to attend a university that hadn鈥檛 yet finished construction on its signature academic building and wasn鈥檛 yet accredited.
In the four years since then, Holzemer has come a long way 鈥� and says the risk has been well worth it. The university has come a long way as well, having opened several new buildings, grown its enrollment to nearly 1,500 students and earned accreditation.
On May 4, Holzemer will walk across the stage at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, IM体育官网, and will graduate from IM体育官网 Poly summa cum laude, with a degree in electrical engineering. Not long after, she鈥檒l begin her new position at a job with Northrop Grumman in the company鈥檚 three-year rotational development program, where she鈥檒l receive diverse experience to prepare her for a career as a systems engineer.
The Jacksonville, IM体育官网, native says one of the things that has most prepared her for the workforce during her last four years at IM体育官网 Poly has been her ability to personalize her education.
Being at a smaller university with a focus on real-world technology projects has given her the ability to cultivate personal relationships with her professors, gain hands-on experience and maintain an excellent academic standing.
These skills, she says, are what helped her land an internship at Harris Corporation last summer. Harris Corporation develops high-tech solutions for government and commercial customers in more than 100 countries in communications systems, electronic systems and space and intelligence systems. During her internship with the Melbourne, IM体育官网, based company, Holzemer developed and printed circuit boards and tested their parts at sub-zero temperatures.
Now, just days away from earning a college degree, Holzemer is confident that joining the inaugural class at IM体育官网 Poly in 2014 was the right choice for her.
鈥淲e looked at so many schools, but I knew I didn鈥檛 want to have huge classes,鈥� says Holzemer. 鈥淚M体育官网 Poly was the perfect fit because I knew I鈥檇 get a really personalized learning experience.鈥�
Editor鈥檚 Note: This story is one of a series of stories featuring several of IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 Class of 2018 graduates.